falls in with the young gentlemen, and then they falls in with you,
just in time for you to save them from being packed off to prison."

As Alphonse knew that part of the country well, he was able to fix on a
spot about three miles from the village, where he suggested that they
and Reuben should lie concealed during the remainder of the day, and
travel on, as they had proposed, at night. Having made these
arrangements with Reuben, he returned to the auberge. Once more, after
an early breakfast, the friends parted; Alphonse starting in a
wonderfully old-fashioned _caleche_ on two wheels, which gave promise of
breaking down on its way to his father's chateau, and the midshipmen
proceeding northward on their own sturdy legs. They fell in with Reuben
Cole at the spot arranged on, and then all three, plunging into the
forest, made themselves comfortable for the rest of the day. Night
after night they travelled on. Sometimes they met people during the
day, and either little notice was taken of them, or Paul easily answered
the questions put to him. Reuben always had his crutches ready, and in
a wonderfully quick time he was on his wooden leg, and hobbling along at
a rate of a mile or so an hour, so that no one would have suspected that
he had a long journey before him. The whole party were in very good
spirits, for as they had found friends when they least expected it, and
got out of difficulties when they thought that they were irretrievably
lost, so they hoped that they might be equally fortunate another time.
O'Grady declared that this life was that of a perpetual picnic. They
generally took shelter during the day in a wood, or among hills, or in
some deserted hut, or, like gipsies, under a hedge in some unfrequented
district; or, if it rained, which was not very often, they got into some
barn or shed in the outskirts of a hamlet; and twice they found caves
into which they could creep, and several times some old ruins of castles
or chateaux afforded them shelter. Their plan was to walk on till
daybreak, and then O'Grady or Paul climbed a height or a tree, and
surveyed the country ahead. If no habitations were to be seen, they
pushed on further, and then took another survey of the country, to find
a place of shelter for the day. When they required food, they generally
first passed through a village, and then Paul went back, towards the
evening to purchase it. As soon as he had bought it, they proceeded
onward, so